Department of Education (DepEd) Secretary Sonny Angara underlined that teachers' workloads should be more evenly distributed in order to enhance student learning outcomes.
"By optimizing teachers' workloads and providing fair compensation for additional duties, we are creating a more balanced and sustainable environment for our educators. This will ultimately enhance student learning outcomes," Angara said in a statement.
Angara’s statement at the heels of the DepEd Memorandum No. 53 series of 2024, which aims to supplement and reiterate provisions of DepEd Order (DO) No. 005 series of 2024 or the Implementation Guidelines for the Rationalization of Teachers' Workload in Public Schools and Compensation for Teaching Overload.
New memorandum
Teachers are not required to teach for more than six hours a day under the new DepEd Memorandum No. 53.
If a teacher's actual teaching load is less than six hours, they may be assigned teaching-related tasks. If their actual teaching load is greater than six hours, they may receive Vacation Service Credits (VSC).
“In exceptional cases where teachers exceed this six-hour limit, they will be eligible for overload pay for up to two additional hours per day,” the DepEd said.
Managing teacher loads
“These guidelines ensure that teaching overloads are managed transparently, with clear procedures for compensation and equitable workload distribution,” the DepEd added.
There are also no further reporting requirements for teachers to complete supplementary tasks inside or outside of schools.
In the meantime, the DepEd promised to use its online platforms to offer "standardized templates and materials" for the execution of the policies.
